Walking into Spider-Webbs

The Mets did not have the starting pitching advantage coming into this Saturday afternoon showdown with the Giants, and it was ultimately the difference. Logan Webb, despite the mediocre start to the campaign, is the ace of the Gaints staff, and looked mostly like himself. David Peterson — who has regressed from his solid 2022 campaign to the tune of a 6.10 ERA in four starts coming into this game — was not good from the get-go. He surrendered a lead-off single in the first inning, and it snowballed from there.

Former Friends Michael Conforto and Wilmer Flores reached base, and a David Villar sacrifice fly put the Giants ahead 1-0. Brandon Crawford would put the Mets as far behind the eight ball as one could imagine, hitting a slider that hung right over the middle of the plate into McCovey Cove, making it 4-0 in the first.

A Daniel Vogelbach double into triples alley would put the Mets on the board in the second inning, but Peterson was not up to the task of keeping this a game. A double and a single put two more runners on, and another Former Friend (in the loosest sense of the phrase) Darin Ruf smoked a ground ball single to right to make it 5-1. Pete Alonso tried to get Thairo Estrada out at home on a ground ball off the bat of Conforto, but he snuck under the tag to push the score to 6-1.

Brandon Nimmo, who seemed to absolutely love this trip out West, hit a home run into “Barry Bonds breaking the home run record” territory, making it sort of a game at 6-2. That score would hold for a few frames, as Webb settled in and Peterson figured it out a bit.

Peterson unfigured it out in the fifth, serving up a very Wilmer Flores home run to Wilmer Flores, and nearly surrendering another one to David Villar, which was caught at the track by Nimmo. He got out of the fifth and that was all for him on the day. Edwin Uceta made his Mets debut in mop-up duty, acquitting himself well, striking out three in three innings.

Webb was done for the day in the eighth and the Mets immediately rallied, with Brett Baty singling (off a lefty!!!) to get things going. A Tomás Nido bunt single (I know what you’re thinking, but it was a good bunt and Flores probably should have scooped the throw) got something going. Nimmo beat out a would-be double play ball to put runners on first and third. Starling Marte, who has been struggling since his neck injury, sliced a single to left to make it 7-3, and officially shifted the game into Interesting Mode with Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso coming up.

Lindor worked the count to 3-1 and got an absolute cookie of a sinker, but got just under the middle-middle pitch for out number two. Alonso grounded out sharply on the first pitch to end the rally, and what felt like the game.

The Mets battled a bit off of Giants closer Camilo Doval, with Canha singling, advancing to second on defensive indifference, and Baty driving him home with a nice piece of hitting, a thing you love to see regardless of the score. However, the mini-rally would be cut short a mere batter later, handing the Mets just their second loss on this already successful trip to the Wild Wild West (read: California).

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
McCovey Chronicles

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

FanGraphs.com

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Mark Canha, 4.3% WPA
Big Mets loser: David Peterson, -38.4% WPA
Mets pitchers: -37.4% WPA
Mets hitters: -12.6% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Brandon Crawford’s first inning three-run home run, -21.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Daniel Vogelbach’s second inning RBI double, 6.7% WPA